傳道書7:8 事情的終局強如事情的起頭，存心忍耐的勝過居心驕傲的。
閱讀經文：傳道書 7:8-10
8事情的終局強如事情的起頭，存心忍耐的勝過居心驕傲的。9你不要心裡急躁惱怒，因為惱怒存在愚昧人的懷中。10不要說：「先前的日子強過如今的日子是什麼緣故呢？」你這樣問，不是出於智慧。
在這個社會裡，年輕的父母越來越重視怎樣才能讓孩子贏在起跑點。但是有一位作家提出一個問題：贏在起跑點的孩子，有多少在終點哭泣？所羅門王提出一個很重要的觀點，那就是：“事情的終局強如事情的起頭，存心忍耐的勝過居心驕傲的。”不要以為你一開始就能用錢為孩子提供最好的一切，他就可以一帆風順地出人頭地。因為在這過程中，沒有存心忍耐的特質，便無法勝過驕傲所帶來的敗壞作用，以致半途而廢。
我們之所以會急躁惱怒，是因為看到別人彷彿佔盡優勢，自已趨居下風，心有不甘，才會惱怒不平。若是記得事情的終局強如事情的起頭，便知道只要存心忍耐到最後，自己一定還有希望，這樣思想，就可以轉移惱怒到應該做的事上，專心努力走自己的路了。
傳道書7:7 勒索使智慧人變為愚妄，賄賂能敗壞人的慧心。
閱讀經文：傳道書 7:7
7勒索使智慧人變為愚妄，賄賂能敗壞人的慧心。
這是我最近學到的新名詞：情緒勒索。因為勒索這件事一般發生在比較有利益衝突的事情上，例如我們看諜影片，好像007，就常有知名的科學家被勒索，被施壓而不得不去做壞事。但是在我們的生活中比較常經歷到的則是情緒上的勒索。所羅門王說：“勒索使智慧人變為愚妄”，讓我們來看看，在自己的生活裡，是否也有這樣的情形出現。
在我的朋友裡，有時會聽到這樣的抱怨：上班時同事都把難的事情交給她，不要做的也交給她做，因為她是個nice person（很好的人），因為好說話，所以工作都交給她。別人都提早下班了，只有她，永遠要帶著一大堆工作回家。當人家說：“你這個人好好…”你就不好意思拒絕了。什麼都接下來了。尤其有的人覺得做基督徒就“必須”幫助別人，“愛”人如已，所以從來不敢說“不”，所以活得好累，苦不堪言。但是她們不曉得的自己正面對一種情緒上的勒索。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Mark 10:32-45. Let’s go!
Mark 10:32 (NIV)
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid…
On verse 32: Why were the disciples astonished and those who followed afraid?
Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. It’s because of what Jesus was telling them on their way to Jerusalem, which Mark describes in verses 33-34.
Mark 10:33-34 (NIV)
33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
On verses 33-34: Don’t take for granted the courage that Jesus demonstrated with every step he took toward Jerusalem, knowing what kind of fate awaited him there. Jesus was not led by fear, but by God’s purpose, and thus he could lead the way (v32). Great leaders are not driven by fear but by purpose.
傳道書7:5 聽智慧人的責備，強如聽愚昧人的歌唱。
閱讀經文：傳道書 7:5-6
5 聽智慧人的責備，強如聽愚昧人的歌唱。 6 愚昧人的笑聲好像鍋下燒荊棘的爆聲。這也是虛空。
年紀越大，越難聽到別人對自己真心的責備，甚至自己亦不喜歡接受責備。不知是因為自己胸襟越來越窄，自我保護能力越來越強，抑或是因為別人根本不敢責備自己。常常有一個體會，如果生命再聽不到別人、特別是親人和配偶的責備，這生命是可悲的。不是你沒有錯，乃是他們不敢指出你的錯。承受不起責備的生命便再沒有改善的可能，也就等於再沒有成長的空間。試問，有甚麼比一個停滯不前、自以為是的生命更可悲？
正常來說，一般人是喜歡聽好話多於責備。好話就像歌唱的聲音，悅耳動聽，叫人喜樂歡笑；責備則往往使人心裡不舒服，甚至引起怒氣。但傳道者卻指出，聽智慧人的責備，比聽愚昧人的歌唱更好，因為愚昧人的歌唱就如他的笑聲一樣，只發出吵耳的聲響，叫人感到難耐和厭煩，毫無意義。可是，為甚麼責備勝過歌唱呢？
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Mark 10:17-31. Let’s go!
Mark 10:17 (NIV)
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
On verse 17: On the outside this man seemed to approach Jesus the right way: he ran up to Jesus (proactive!), he fell on his knees before Jesus (humility!), and addressed him respectfully as “Good Teacher” (honouring!). But when you hear the man’s question to Jesus, you get a hint that this man’s approach to God and heaven was flawed. There’s a good chance that what this man was really asking was, “What can I do to earn heaven?” Jesus will use this man’s question to show that there is nothing a human being can do to earn their way to heaven (“With man this is impossible” – v27).
傳道書7:4 智慧人的心在遭喪之家，愚昧人的心在快樂之家。
閱讀經文：傳道書 7:1-4
1名譽強如美好的膏油，人死的日子勝過人生的日子。2往遭喪的家去強如往宴樂的家去，因為死是眾人的結局，活人也必將這事放在心上。3憂愁強如喜笑，因為面帶愁容終必使心喜樂。4智慧人的心在遭喪之家，愚昧人的心在快樂之家。
家兄於幾年前的11月底被發現因跌倒失救而死去多日，而我們在同時期卻為著女兒將於12月中出閣而籌備喜慶，可算是悲喜交集。例如星期五晚上到教堂為婚禮綵排，翌日要為家兄清理遺物；一星期後的星期五為家兄舉行追思會，而兩天後便是女兒的婚禮。
過去在牧會期間，其實也遇過不少同時期要面對兩種心情的經歷，例如早上安息禮拜，下午婚禮；或下午婚禮，晚上到殯儀館慰問喪家，然後隨即趕赴婚宴等。我於當中不斷學習如何與喜樂的人同樂，與哀哭的人同哭的共鳴同感，而隨著時間與經驗的累積，雖不致於變成麻木，但也可算應對自如了。惟當同樣事件是直接與自己有貼身關係時，心情的調節不再一樣，但感謝主，這更讓我學習如何更切身處地去感受別人的感受。
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Mark 10:1-16. Let’s go!
Mark 10:1-12 (NIV)
1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.
2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.
6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’
On verses 1-12: Divorce was never God’s ideal plan for any married couple. God’s heart is to protect and bless the marriage between a husband and wife as much as possible. These sobering words from Jesus show that both marriage and divorce should not be taken lightly.
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Mark 9:42-50. Let’s go!
Mark 9:42-48 (NIV)
42 “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
48 where “‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
On verses 42-48: Jesus’ words here show us a number of things:
1. Here Jesus shows us how holy God is, how nothing with sin can stand in His presence. If it weren’t for Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay for our sinfulness, none of us would stand a chance of going to heaven. As Psalm 130:3-4 says, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” May we never take God’s incredible holiness or His equally incredible mercy for granted.
傳道書6:11 加增虛浮的事既多，這與人有什麼益處呢？
閱讀經文：傳道書 6:10-12
10先前所有的，早已起了名，並知道何為人，他也不能與那比自己力大的相爭。11加增虛浮的事既多，這與人有什麼益處呢？12人一生虛度的日子就如影兒經過，誰知道什麼與他有益呢？誰能告訴他身後在日光之下有什麼事呢？
第十節的經文若只是從中文字面來看，好像是在說“什麼東西都有名字了；人就是人，怎樣也不能跟力大的相爭。”你能明白它在說什麼嗎？新譯本是這樣翻譯的：“已經存在的，早已有了名稱；大家都知道人是怎樣的；人絕對無法與比自己強的抗辯。”我看得很莫名其妙，幸好有信息聖經的翻譯助我理解：10Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed. You can’t argue with fate.原來它的意思是說，不管已經發生了什麼事，都已經發生了，每個人都有自己的命，你不能和命運爭辯。
我想，這樣一來我們都清楚了。先前所有的，是指發生在我們身上的事情。有的人生下來很幸運，有愛他的父母，在父母身邊享盡一切的福氣。有的人一生下來就被拋棄，幾乎死掉，被人撿起來，在許多家庭轉來轉去，受盡欺凌白眼，成長得十分苦艱難。這些都不是我們能改變的，命運就是那個力大的，在眾人之上的命定，人沒有辦法與之抗爭。為什麼我們可以要什麼有什麼，而非洲的窮苦小孩，要什麼沒什麼，連吃口飯都十分艱難。
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